The Blackstar Venue Series HT Club 50 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head offers the same feature set as the HT Club 40 combo in a versatile head format. This two channel head is equally at home in the rehearsal room, studio or club size venue. With the patented ISF control and clean or overdrive channels ranging from 'classic crunch' to 'super saturated lead' the HT Club 50 head truly is the ultimate amp for the gigging guitarist.

The HT Club 50 is a highly versatile amplifier suited to a wide range of playing styles and situations.

The Clean Channel has two modes, ˜boutique' and ˜modern' and its own Tone control provides a wide range of clean tones. The Voice switch reconfigures both the preamplifier voicing and gain structure, and the power amplifier damping, to reproduce either ringing Class A Performance in the ˜boutique' mode, or very clean and tight Class AB tones in the ˜modern' setting.

The Overdrive Channel has its own EQ section and a Voice switch which allows the character of the channel to be changed, providing a wide variety of overdriven tones. The channel is characterised by a tone which is high in gain, but lacks any of the detached top-end ˜fizz' often found in similar designs. This is a result of unique preamplifier and power amplifier shaping techniques, which also benefit the player in the way the overdrive cleans up beautifully as the guitar volume is reduced. Even at the most extreme settings, the overdrive channel remains natural sounding.

The patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control is unique to Blackstar Amplification and represents a major step forward in tone shaping flexibility. The ISF control shifts the response of the three control tone stack between a US type response at one end, and at the other a UK type response. Importantly, in between the two extremes lie an infinite number of alternative tone choices that would be otherwise unavailable.

The HT Club 50 also features a completely natural sounding digital reverb, which is musical on both clean and crunch tones and raises the benchmark for guitar amplifier specific reverb design. A Dark/Bright switch allows the overall reverb characteristics to be modified to suit different tastes and playing styles.

FEATURES

Versatile head with dual channels and reverbBoutique or Modern voice settingsIndividual Tone controls for each channelPatented ISF tone shaping flexibilityNatural-sounding digital reverb with Dark/Bright switch

Honestly, the tubes are a huge part of any amp's capability to produce your tone, and not every player has the desire, knowledge, and tools to play bench tech and invest the...Read complete review

Honestly, the tubes are a huge part of any amp's capability to produce your tone, and not every player has the desire, knowledge, and tools to play bench tech and invest the hours required to learn...safely. With the right selections here, you literally have a vintage Marshall Plexi, with the ability to approximate VOX AC30 clean tones; this is a fantastic mix of sounds and a capability I am not really aware of in any other major brand of amp. Hughes and Kettner Statesman 50 is the absolute closest, lacks some of the gain, and will cost you another $200 or so. I had the 20W Studio model for a couple of months, and while the sound was excellent, it dd not have the clean headroom to push a 2X12 in my venue. These ex-Marshall alumni who are designing the Blackstar product line are some of the same people who have brought us benchmark amp products for years; without the shackles on them as to what their products have to sound like, we are getting to see some "outside of the box" ways to produce our tone(s) and thoroughly enjoy the journey that effort should be. The Infinite Shape Feature to create more of a blend capability between British EL84 Class A "sounds" and American 6L6GC/GE tone is useful, but another reviewer had commented that the tone becomes a bit too dark on the far end of the British side, and I would agree. Nonetheless this is a nice and useful feature. Ditto for the reverb "voice" switch from bright to dark, which I have never seen in a comparable amp. Having a master tone stack, with separate volume and gain controls for the clean and drive channels is a terrific setup. Metal toggle switches for power on and standby, nice tolex covering with gold piping in the front like a vintage DSL or Plexi; speaker connections of almost any normal variation you would need, and a great sounding parallel effects loop. Nice buckstiched black leather handle on vintage chrome mounts. I had an excellent vinyl cover with piping made for about $4 it would have been nice to have some thin nylon version included with their logo, a la Fender, but......! Even though the HT Venue Series are supposed to be budget line, I can't see why this product series wouldn't last under fire of gigging with some reasonable care and a decent ATA case. My ONLY complaint in this particular category is Blackstar's selection of TAD 12AX7WA preamp and EL34B-STR/6CA7 power tubes. These tubes, made in China by Shuguang, are just fair in my opinion for overall sound quality, and the brand has a bit of a history with reliability. On the other hand, Orange and Marshall are now putting them into their current products, and feel the new gold plated grid and heavy glass on the power tubes gives improvement in this area. Especially if you want to obtain some VOX-like clean chimey tones, you're gonna have to get rid of these. Ditto if you are a high gain artist, the 12AX7WA's are lower microphonically, but this comes at the expense of gain. Put a set of JJ or Tung Sol 12AX7's, and a pair of Tung Sol or Mullard EL34B(both from the New Sensor plant in Russia)power tubes in and get ready to rock! Korean manufacture of English design; fit and finish of all elements, components, wiring, and cabinetry was perfect. Excellent ventilation on top and back. A 50W all tube head will drive nearly any half stack of 4X12's to performance levels in small auditoriums. This amp is named the Club 50, and is absolutely perfect for venues up to about 300 or so. For this quality of tone, at this price level, the amp is a steal.....buy one! You cannot touch the level of performance in a comparable Marshall or Fender product without spending over $1000.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

Completely overrated. Tone nightmare

K, I Hurd alot of rave about this amp so I bought it. I wanted something new and from the reviews read I thought I found the perfect amp brand I've yet to...Read complete review

K, I Hurd alot of rave about this amp so I bought it. I wanted something new and from the reviews read I thought I found the perfect amp brand I've yet to experience. I'm a very picky person when it comes to tone and I'll save you some time and money if you take my review in consideration. Out of 100s if not 1000s of music equipment purchases I've made over the years this is my first review. So take that for what it's worth. First off, this amp is some what loud I'll give it that. But that's it as far as positivity goes! The tone is cloudy at best, very muddy and dark.. The overdrive channel sounds like a 1980s hair rock behringer pedal at best it's absolutely SAD that people some how give this amp WAY to much credit. The clean channel is HORRIFIC!!!!!! NO EQ !! Only a tone knob that scoops the lows and punches you in the face with twangy treble however if you roll the tone knob to a low setting it scoops the highs and throws you in the dirt with muddy thunder. I can't express the over rated amp with words its just a sad thing for a tone freak like myself. There's no manipulating this amp without a eq pedal running through the effects loop but it still doesn't have the glass,punch or crunch a tube amp should have. I've played professionally for over 20 years and have never been so disappointed with a purchase with so many good reviews. The internet has really changed the reality of facts to fiction. The problem is you don't know the source or experience of the person giving the review. Tone is important to me and take my advice or leave it this is just my 2 cents on my personal experience with this amp head. There are SO many better products out there. Grab a Orange 15 watt tube head for even cheaper or even a diamond assisin,fender bassbreaker and make this amp cry like a baby from a tone spankin.

Honestly, the tubes are a huge part of any amp's capability to produce your tone, and not every player has the desire, knowledge, and tools to play bench tech and invest the hours required to learn...safely. With the right selections here, you literally have a vintage Marshall Plexi, with the ability to approximate VOX AC30 clean tones; this is a fantastic mix of sounds and a capability I am not really aware of in any other major brand of amp. Hughes and Kettner Statesman 50 is the absolute closest, lacks some of the gain, and will cost you another $200 or so. I had the 20W Studio model for a couple of months, and while the sound was excellent, it dd not have the clean headroom to push a 2X12 in my venue. These ex-Marshall alumni who are designing the Blackstar product line are some of the same people who have brought us benchmark amp products for years; without the shackles on them as to what their products have to sound like, we are getting to see some "outside of the box" ways to produce our tone(s) and thoroughly enjoy the journey that effort should be. The Infinite Shape Feature to create more of a blend capability between British EL84 Class A "sounds" and American 6L6GC/GE tone is useful, but another reviewer had commented that the tone becomes a bit too dark on the far end of the British side, and I would agree. Nonetheless this is a nice and useful feature. Ditto for the reverb "voice" switch from bright to dark, which I have never seen in a comparable amp. Having a master tone stack, with separate volume and gain controls for the clean and drive channels is a terrific setup. Metal toggle switches for power on and standby, nice tolex covering with gold piping in the front like a vintage DSL or Plexi; speaker connections of almost any normal variation you would need, and a great sounding parallel effects loop. Nice buckstiched black leather handle on vintage chrome mounts. I had an excellent vinyl cover with piping made for about $4 it would have been nice to have some thin nylon version included with their logo, a la Fender, but......! Even though the HT Venue Series are supposed to be budget line, I can't see why this product series wouldn't last under fire of gigging with some reasonable care and a decent ATA case. My ONLY complaint in this particular category is Blackstar's selection of TAD 12AX7WA preamp and EL34B-STR/6CA7 power tubes. These tubes, made in China by Shuguang, are just fair in my opinion for overall sound quality, and the brand has a bit of a history with reliability. On the other hand, Orange and Marshall are now putting them into their current products, and feel the new gold plated grid and heavy glass on the power tubes gives improvement in this area. Especially if you want to obtain some VOX-like clean chimey tones, you're gonna have to get rid of these. Ditto if you are a high gain artist, the 12AX7WA's are lower microphonically, but this comes at the expense of gain. Put a set of JJ or Tung Sol 12AX7's, and a pair of Tung Sol or Mullard EL34B(both from the New Sensor plant in Russia)power tubes in and get ready to rock! Korean manufacture of English design; fit and finish of all elements, components, wiring, and cabinetry was perfect. Excellent ventilation on top and back. A 50W all tube head will drive nearly any half stack of 4X12's to performance levels in small auditoriums. This amp is named the Club 50, and is absolutely perfect for venues up to about 300 or so. For this quality of tone, at this price level, the amp is a steal.....buy one! You cannot touch the level of performance in a comparable Marshall or Fender product without spending over $1000.

This is one of the best pieces of gear I have purchased in a long time. I have 16 heads and combos sitting around the house, Mesa Boogies, Bogners, Egnaters, Traynors, ETC. This amp for the price will give any of them a run for their money, and then some. Blackstar is like the Marshall you always wanted, with a great Vox-Fender clean tone. What else do you needRegular 2 channel head. Cool features like ditigal reverb, and several voicing switches.Series FX Loop, with switch for rack gear, or stomp boxes. Excellent fit &amp; finish on this head. Better than alot of American companies do. Cool looks !!!On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 9. After all nothing is perfect. As far as price goes, I would say its a great value. Better than alot of amp heads costing 2 or 3 times as much.

Purchased this amp head after many hours of research, playing various models.I wanted a quality tube amp head for portability , sound quality .This unit has more than enough power and its easy to get many tones.The cleans are excellent!The dirt channel can be used for blues, good ole Rock n Roll or all the way to Metal screaming!I've cranked this baby up to 3/4 volume and jammed for hours and with its logical design and great ventilation it does not get overly warm!I am looking forward to many years out of this wonderful amp!You can use with many types of cabs...Currently I use with a Blackstar HTV112 and a 2x12 and the sound is beautiful!Get one!

I played this head through a 2 x 12 with V30s using a Strat a Tele a Les Paul and a 6120. This amp is dead silent when on but one of the most useful features which has never been mentioned is that this 50 watt amp needs no attenuator to use at home. It can play at a hush level just fine and belt out massive cleans too. All the knobs are tight (not sloppy) and very gradual in their sweep. This is unlike most any other amp I have used at this wattage.

The Blackstar HT 50 is very well built and looks nice. It has a similar voice to a Marshall but I found it has no sag at all. If you like that vintage sag sound you will need to buy an effect pedal. The cleans are really nice on this amp too. I preferred using that channel with my pedals. It's not chimy like a Fender but just a little darker. The ISF does not interact with the clean channel but the tone control has a lot of range and the voice switch adds scoop or takes it out. It won't do a Fender clean to my ear. You can get a fat tone with a little break up by using the overdrive channel with the master all the way up, the gain almost off and the 2nd volume to your liking. This is a great sound. The gain is good and has a wide range of voices to dial in. It can be matched up to the clean voice so it can sound continuous. There is a sound dropout when switching channels.

I'm surprised that this amp seems to only attract a hard rock / metal following. It can do a lot more than that.

My only knock against it is the ISF seems almost too subtle. It seems more like to tone cut on a VOX than how they describe it.

Was blown away with the HT-5R so I bought this with high expections-delivered! It responds to different guitars the way great amps are supposed to- every combination has it's own feel. Great nuance and touch response.No mush,no farts,no fizz...just tone.Using a rectifier cab with vintage 30s and it sings. Clean is not as good as some,but warm enough to please with a little pedal help. Quiet-records great. Nothing better at this price point.

So I have been breaking in my new HT-50 head for about 4 months now and am pretty pleased with it. I bought this head because I just didn't need a 100W tube head to tear everyones heads off in the medium to small sized venues that I play in. This thing fit the bill perfect and provided plenty of power for a 50W head, much more than you would ever need unless playing a large outdoor stadium! The features are straight forward and simple, just how I like, and it sounds killer. I play hard rock so this amp really does well with that and I can also get some very nice cleans using the ISF tone control! The only reason I gave this thing 4 starz was because I wish the built in dirty channel had a bit more power behind it OR at least a presence knob. The distortion sounds alright but it sounds like it just needs to come forward more, like the cab it facing the wall it you get my drift? A presence knob would surely fix this but since I run through a MXR EQ and a DS1 pedal I can get the sound I am looking for. Plus this thing ROCKS through my Orange PCC 2X12 cab! Great job Blackstar! I would recommend to a friend for the simplicity, good sturdy build quality, great price and great sound.

Although I've come to the party late on this amp, I felt it to be important to review. I don't think Blackstar makes these anymore. If not, that's too bad... I have been a Marshall guy for my entire music career and still own a 800 and a dsl (both very high benchmarks in the amp arena). This Club 50 WILL rival either of those 2 Marshall Heads!!! I sold a tsl601 and saw this amp on line at a competitor's website (selling used equipment). I went to try it out and couldn't believe my ears! I bought it without hesitation! Had this amp existed when I first started playing, I never would have even thought about Marshall! I still love my Marshalls and always will, but, this thing is a great sounding head for a small amount of cash!!! The beauty of this head (to me), is the infinite shape feature. I've had this head for about 6 months and just keep finding new sounds. I record a lot and find that sounds/tones sometimes write a song for you. With this head, you WILL be able to find some tone that will astonish you!If you see one for sale, grab it fast!!!

Service and delivery comments:

While I didn't buy this at MF, I have bought a lot of gear fromMF and have never had any issues. They gave a great website that is easy to find what you are interested in buying fast. Usually free shipping is awesome as well!

K, I Hurd alot of rave about this amp so I bought it. I wanted something new and from the reviews read I thought I found the perfect amp brand I've yet to experience. I'm a very picky person when it comes to tone and I'll save you some time and money if you take my review in consideration. Out of 100s if not 1000s of music equipment purchases I've made over the years this is my first review. So take that for what it's worth. First off, this amp is some what loud I'll give it that. But that's it as far as positivity goes! The tone is cloudy at best, very muddy and dark.. The overdrive channel sounds like a 1980s hair rock behringer pedal at best it's absolutely SAD that people some how give this amp WAY to much credit. The clean channel is HORRIFIC!!!!!! NO EQ !! Only a tone knob that scoops the lows and punches you in the face with twangy treble however if you roll the tone knob to a low setting it scoops the highs and throws you in the dirt with muddy thunder. I can't express the over rated amp with words its just a sad thing for a tone freak like myself. There's no manipulating this amp without a eq pedal running through the effects loop but it still doesn't have the glass,punch or crunch a tube amp should have. I've played professionally for over 20 years and have never been so disappointed with a purchase with so many good reviews. The internet has really changed the reality of facts to fiction. The problem is you don't know the source or experience of the person giving the review. Tone is important to me and take my advice or leave it this is just my 2 cents on my personal experience with this amp head. There are SO many better products out there. Grab a Orange 15 watt tube head for even cheaper or even a diamond assisin,fender bassbreaker and make this amp cry like a baby from a tone spankin.

Love this head! Liked the HT20 but this head is everything I liked x 10 with more features. I prefer a modern rock sound and this head can sound as mean as you want. You can dial in any tone you can think of. The only drawback is a slight delay in channel switching which I've had to adjust for in live performance. Slight but noticeable. I can live with it

I have been playing music for 10 years and if you like myself love a big beefy sounding amp, then this amp is perfect for you. But having the voiceing buttons and the isf knob i can get so many different sounds. What i like about the voice bottons is on the overdrive channel if i want that extra punch of distortion i got it with out having to use a pedal. On the clean channel the voice.option allows me to crank up my amp and get that nice classic tube break up. But through on the voice and the amp is right back in a very warm and smooth clean tone. I play alot of diiferent styles of music. I bhave played everything from blues and jazz to punk up to metal. Im currently in a progressive sludge metal/ rock group (similar to Queens of the stone age with a mix of Mastodon). I honestly feek this is the mosgt under rated amp in the Rock world.

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